Indonesia’s most active volcano erupted on Wednesday with a river of lava and clouds of scorching gas flowing 1,600 meters (5,250 feet) down its slopes.
It was the largest lava flow on Mount Merapi since authorities increased its level of danger in November, said Hanik Humaida, head of Yogyakarta’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazards Mitigation.
After the morning rain, ash precipitation turned to mud in several villages, where the sound of the eruption can be heard from 30 kilometers (18 miles away). Police and rescue services told miners to stop working along the rivers, but no one was evacuated.
INDONESIA’S MOST VOLATILE VOLCANO SPEAKS ASH IN A NEW ERUPTION
A volunteer uses his walkie-talkie while monitoring Mount Merapi during an eruption in Sleman, Wednesday, January 27, 2021. Indonesia’s most active volcano erupted on Wednesday with a river of lava and clouds of gas sizzling water flowing 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) down slopes. (AP Photo / Slamet Riyadi)
In November, authorities evacuated nearly 2,000 people who lived on the mountain in the Magelang and Sleman districts of Java Island, but most have now returned.
The alert was being maintained at the second highest level and authorities told people to stay outside the existing 5km (3 mile) danger zone around the crater while local administrations in Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces closely monitor the situation.
HAWAII VOLCANO ERUPTION FORMS LAVA LAKE, CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE
The 2,968 meter (9,737 ft) volcano is on the densely populated island of Java and close to the ancient city of Yogyakarta. It is the most active of dozens of Indonesian volcanoes and has recently erupted repeatedly with lava and clouds of gas.
Merapi’s last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people.
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Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activities because it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic faults around the ocean.